Thursday, November 04, 2010

Project 365 Smorgasbord (306-309)

.:306/365: Thomas Medina:.

Often considered as the premiere geek magician, Medina’s repertoire involves some of the freakiest routines you will ever witness, and once you check him out, you’d insist that this Rick Moranis lookalike is not human at all. From eating razor blades to chewing broken glass, Thomas Medina is a veritable goldmine of visceral effects designed to elicit the most primal of reactions from people.

Needless to say, his brand of magic, known as “geek magic,” has inspired a very (thankfully) small group of performers to take after him: doing things that are either too freaky or too creepy to just explain and to witness one after the other, but powerful because more often than not, they just do these things as it is, and prove that they’re just made of sterner stuff than you and I, really.

A more flattering title for some geek magicians would be “fakirs,” but when you watch them, you might want to refer to them as geek magicians all the same, lest you accidentally blurt out some decidedly un-family friendly words when referring to the “amazing fakir” performing right in front of you.‘.:307/365: Tony Andruzzi:.

Tony Andruzzi, also known as Tom Palmer, was both a comedy magician and the father of modern Bizarre Magick, performing some of the grisliest and most visually astounding effects you will ever see. This is how Max Maven would be if he out and out decided to utilize the occult as part and parcel of his persona, and his looks alone would tell you that.

The late and great Tony Andruzzi was certainly a character that just managed to draw out vivid responses from everyone around him. As a performer, he had absolute command over the mood of the audience. He knew what it would take to push their buttons, and in doing so, he managed to create a larger-than-life aura for himself. He was not a magician: he was a sorcerer, taking you on a journey into the occult. His whole look and onstage persona was geared towards upholding this mystique and assuring himself that he would go down in history as a person who would never fail to leave a lasting impression on anyone who crosses paths with him.

.:308/365: The Bicycle Ghost Deck:.

While special Bicycle decks tend to make spectators scream “faaaaaake” faster than you can do an invisible pass, the Bicycle Ghost Deck is often excused because of the eerie way the deck looks, and how this becomes a way to enhance a freaky effect or two.

These cards are easily found in Cutting Edge stores in malls everywhere locally, and they do last long. My Ghost Deck is actually two years old already and I can still use that deck on occasion. That’s value for your money, folks! :p